Federal government wants cost of wireless plans cut by 25%

Jul 28 2020, 4:27 pm

The federal government is tracking the cost of wireless service plans across the country, to help aid in their efforts to cut the cost by 25% over the next 2 years.

The first set of wireless pricing data on 2 GB to 6 GB data plans from February to June 2020 was published today, with plans to continue price monitoring and regularly updating the cost of plans moving forward.

“The Government of Canada continues to be committed to helping reduce the cost of some of the most popular wireless plans by 25% over the next two years and further increasing competition, as well as tracking progress toward this goal,” says a release from Innovation, Science and Economic Development Canada.

Bell, TELUS and Rogers (across their brands) will be expected to lower their prices in the next two years, or the federal government will introduce regulatory mechanisms to increase competition in the market and help to reduce these prices.

The reductions are based on prices advertised on company websites in early 2020 for post-paid, bring your own device (BYOD), unlimited talk and text 4G/LTE plans in the 2 to 6 GB range.

In Quebec, prices for the 2 GB and 4 GB data plans were already lower than the January 2020 benchmark prices, while they remain consistent in the rest of the country.

“From waiving home Internet overage fees to maintaining, repairing and upgrading their networks, they have helped support Canadians during this difficult time,” said Honourable Navdeep Bains, Minister of Innovation, Science and Industry.

“In that same spirit, our government is optimistic that it can continue working with the big three providers to reduce the cost of mid-range wireless services by 25 percent over the next two years. The tracker launched today will help monitor progress toward this goal.”

Rumneek JohalRumneek Johal

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